Professor and Chair of Africana Studies Tricia Rose MA'87 PhD'93 urged students and colleagues to question the idea of a colorblind society in a lecture Thursday night. Speaking to a full Pembroke Hall 305, she said there is a need to recognize black culture as legitimate.
In her talk, titled "Black Culture Matters: Black Cultural Debates in a Color Blind Nation," Rose argued that the ideology of color blindness has resulted in a "new racism" that suppresses the study and research of race-specific topics.
Though many believe that discrimination is no longer a major issue in society and think of racism as "the all-out type" of prejudice seen in the past, Rose said, statistics she cited — on issues such as social services, life expectancy and housing — revealed the persistence of racial disparity in today's society.
Cultural racism — which Rose defined as the idea that "blacks have a distinct and dysfunctional culture" — is another issue that has become widespread, she said. People use cultural explanations to "rationalize inequality," she said.
"Keeping track of that process" — how aesthetic, cultural practices have become examples of what many today perceive as "pathological" behavior — is important, Rose said.
As an example, Rose discussed the "cool pose," which she said was developed by African Americans as an artistic style of disengagement and as a "shield of protection" against oppression. She critiqued pundits and scholars who blame the "cool pose" as the "key origin of the black male achievement gap."
Rose went on to talk about the idea of "keeping it real," which is often associated with an imagined "black ghetto set of behavior." Yet the phrase was developed, she argued, to retain black authenticity and to articulate truth in the face of power.
Anthropologists and sociologists have tried to identify and define black culture for a long time, Rose said, especially following abolition and the Civil Rights Movement. They debated the topic of assimilation, bringing into questions the value and existence of African American culture. Over the years, the debate has continued, Rose said. The discussion has shifted from one pitting the importance of cultural heritage against assimilation to one dealing with ideas of color blindness and racial identification.
Color blindness is "worse than the ‘You got no culture' option," Rose said.
People of Latino, Caribbean and African descent in particular have been "folded into a narrative," she said. She expressed her hope that people will approach the issue of stereotypes by first understanding the manner in which they developed.
The Invitational Lecture in the Humanities is an annual event sponsored by the Cogut Center for the Humanities that aims to give the Brown community a chance to listen to distinguished faculty members — who are usually busy with teaching, administrative work or off-campus events — address a critical issue in the humanities related to their work.
Rose was chosen for her knowledge in Africana studies and her ability to relate the humanities to other disciplines and issues of our time, said Michael Steinberg, director of the Cogut Center.
"She is a wonderful scholar," Steinberg said. "She works on topics that are very important."
Steinberg said he hopes Rose will set an example for the campus by creating bridges between the humanities and other areas of study such as public policy and the sciences. Rose's work "touches all those nerves," he added.
"She engages everyone. She explains to you what she wants you to know," Maura Lynch '11 said after Thursday's lecture.
"I think she was extremely charismatic and extremely persuasive. I wish there was more time," said David Hollingshead GS. "It lived up to expectations."
